Tuna Tartar with Avacado Cream

I will probably get lynched for this, but I am not a fan of Giada De Laurentiis. 

She makes me nervous. 

I guess it has to do with the adage “never trust a skinny chef.” Her recipes certainly look good. But there is always this part in the back of my mind that keeps whispering... “What could she know about good food? She doesn’t eat.” 

Of course I also know that I am wrong. She takes huge bites of food on “Everyday Italian” and she snitches bits on “Behind the Bash.” It’s all right there on tape. But even that still leaves me slightly suspicious. 

This doesn’t by any means stop me from watching, but it is rare that I look at one of her recipes and immediately need to make it. But that is exactly what happened with this tuna recipe. 

Once I saw it… I had to make it!

I am a huge fan of raw tuna in general. Albacore tataki is my sushi addiction. Especially at my favorite sushi place with serves it with a garlic ponzu sauce, thus combining two of my great food loves. So I am always looking for good tuna recipes. And quite serendipitously, my local farmers market has excellent, fresh, sashimi grade tuna. 

With this in mind, I laid terribly clever plans to try the recipe. I stalked the ingredients, carefully checking my pantry for everything I needed and slowly acquiring the ingredients I lacked. Fortuitously, I had lunch at a Japanese market a day before and picked up the last ingredient before getting the tuna and setting to work, rice wine vinegar. 

I read through the recipe thrice then set to work, toasting, mixing, measuring and chopping. The scent of toasted almonds and coconut perfumed the entire house. It was nearly impossible to not sneak a nibble as I set the mixture to chill in the fridge. I wanted the flavors to meld. I wanted it to all be perfect.

 I even got out my favorite martini glasses.

 But alas I was disappointed. The flavors weren’t terrible. The avocado cream was superb, but the tuna lacked something. Even doubling the amount of lime juice in the recipe didn’t bring out the brightness of flavor that I was expecting. 

I loved the combination of black currents, almonds and toasted coconut. As a matter of fact I have vowed to create something that will spotlight them better than the tuna. With the mildness of the tuna and the smoothness of the avocado cream the flavor was almost one dimensional. The texture was certainly there. The color was pretty with the toasted almonds and the green avocado. But the flavor lacked something. 

Wasabi? Lime zest? Both? 

Something. 

Still, it couldn’t have been that bad. My brother not only went back for second but thirds as well. The avocado cream is a definitely keeper too! I may even try this again, maybe with a different cut of tuna and a dash of wasabi to punch up the flavors. Though I think with the milder flavors it is a good introduction dish for those that are iffy about raw fish. 

Coconut Tuna Tartare

1 pound sushi grade tuna, cut into 1/4-inch dice
5 tablespoons grated coconut, toasted
1 teaspoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
4 tablespoons toasted almond slivers, chopped
4 tablespoons currants
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil 

Avocado Mousse

2 ripe avocados
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper 

In a medium stainless mixing bowl combine the diced tuna, coconut, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of the lime juice, rice wine vinegar, almonds, currants, vegetable oil, ginger, garlic, and sesame oil. Toss well and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Peel and halve the avocados and remove the pits. Give them a rough chop and place them in a small stainless mixing bowl. Add the remaining lime juice, cayenne, cumin, paprika, and olive oil. Mash the seasoned avocado with a sturdy whisk until creamy in texture and season with salt and pepper. 

To serve: Divide the avocado mixture equally into the bottom of 8 martini glasses. Separate the tuna into eight equal portions and spoon on top of the avocado.

Comments

[connie]

Everything beautiful and I can taste it all the way here! The avacado mousse I find intriguing, can you suggest a way I could serve it as a dip with shrimps perhaps? Thank you so much for a beautiful site! Sad person with no experience but so willing to learn. Thank you so much

[kitarra]

Hi Connie,

The avacado mousse would be great with shrimp. The creamy avacado is a great foil for the shrimp. I would however add a bit more lime juice and a bit more cayenne pepper to the mix. Or switch the cayenne out with wasabi.

To make this really pretty, I would shred some lettuce into the bottom of a martini glass, nestle the avacado mousse into the middle of the shredded lettuce and hang shrimp off the edge!

However, the avacado cannot be made too far in advance because it turns brown really quickly. Adding a bit more lime juice helps but don't let this sit out too long.

[connie]

Many many thank yous for this.I am planning small gathering,(5),I am hoping not to look too uneducated in kitchen matters!!I come to visit your beautiful site all the time but not educated enough to try so many nice things but try little things. Thank you.

[kitarra]

You are welcome. I try not to make anything too complicate. I just like to use lots of interesting ingredients! I think it's a matter of confidence in the kitchen. The more I play with food the more I realize how muh fun it is. Which makes me lose my fear of screwing anything up. There are still things I am not quite brave enough to try but for the most part, I try to keep my cooking quick and easy. Thank you for visiting!